Nipah outbreak: Travel to Kerala only if you must
dubai — The Ministry of Health and Prevention (Mohap) has advised people to put off unnecessary travel to Kerala, India, following the Nipah virus (NiV) outbreak.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the ministry said it was working closely with its strategic partners to assess the risk of importation of Nipah virus (NiV) cases to the country.
“Mohap alerts the people travelling to Kerala to be aware of possibly of contracting the infection and advises them to postpone unnecessary travel till the situation is controlled,” it read.
Although the UAE has not been directly affected by the Nipah virus (NiV), the World Health Organisation (WHO) has recommended all countries enhance their level of preparedness following the outbreak.
It has advised countries to enhance surveillance at health care facilities including at points of entry and give case definitions among healthcare workers.
So far, the virus has claimed 12 lives in India, with at least 40 others in quarantine.
dubai — The Ministry of Health and Prevention (Mohap) has asked people to put off unnecessary travel to Kerala, India, where a Nipah virus (NiV) outbreak has claimed 11 lives while at least 40 others are in quarantine.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the ministry said that it was closely monitoring the situation. “The ministry works with its strategic partners to assess the risk of importation of Nipah virus (NiV) cases to the country and put the necessary control measures. Also, Mohap is in continuous coordination with the World Health Organisation (WHO) to implement the global recommendations,” read the statement.
“Mohap alerts the people travelling to Kerala to be aware of possibly of contracting the infection and advises them to postpone unnecessary travel till the situation will be controlled,” it added.
While the WHO has not issued any specific advice to countries — including the UAE — that have not been affected by the Nipah virus (NiV), it has asked them to enhance level of preparedness.
The organisation said the preparedness level should be enhanced due to the population and goods movements between the countries and India.
Among the advisories given, the WHO has advised countries to enhance surveillance at healthcare facilities including the points of entry and give case definitions among healthcare workers (HCWs).
The health body said NiV symptoms are none specific and include flu-like illness, hence can be confused with any respiratory illness. “Therefore, training of HCWs might be needed to detect cases early, including for those who serve at clinics at points of entry,” it said.
The WHO has also recommended establishing hospital-based surveillance for encephalitis and ensuring presence of lab diagnostic capacities among a range of other clinical measures including detection and reporting as well as educational measures displayed at key entry points.